Thermally actuated fire extinguisher



F'iled June 14, 1966 IN VEN TOR. GEORGE WEISE I I I d f:

Unit d Sta Pa e 3,392,787 j THERMALLY ACTUATED FIRE EXTINGUISHER "George Weise, 1462 Alps Road,

" Wayne,-N.J. 07470 Filed June 14, 1966, Ser. No. 557,54

7'Claims. (Cl. 169 26) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to fire extinguishers and is directed'particularly'to improvements in self-contained pressure actuated fire extinguishers of the type designed to protect small areas wherethere may be danger of local fires, such as at paint lockers, electrical junction boxes, exhaust hoods, deep fryers, portable generators and the like.

,The principal object of the invention is to provide a fire extinguisher of the character described which includes a replaceable pressure-actuated cartridge containing the fire extinguishing agent to be discharged automatically upon the temperature surrounding a thermally responsive element reaching a predetermined value, which can also bemanually operated when desired. Another object is to provide a fire extinguisher of the character described which includes means for directing the'fire extinguishing medium to selected areas through fixed pipes or the like.

Another object is to provide a built-in mixing and/or distribution chamber which will allow and promote the distribution of the extinguishing agent through the means of four or more pipe attaching ports.

Stillanother object is to provide a fire extinguisher of the character described which is readily adaptable to use in a great variety of locations where there is constant danger of local fire, and which can easily be reset and re charged by replacement of a cartridge after having been discharged in extinguishing a fire.

Still another object is to provide a fire extinguisher of the above nature which will be simple in structure, comprised of a few and inexpensive parts, and which will be compact, fool-proof and dependable in operation.

Other objects features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In' the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote'corresponding parts throughout the several views:

' FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a fire extinguishing device embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention comprising generally, a rectangular housing member which may be of cast metal, for example, a generally cylindrical fitting 11, a pressurized container 12, a thermally actuated sensing device 13 and a manually-operated release and resetting mechanism 14.

The fitting 11 is fixed upon the upper wall 15 of the housing 10 as by bolts 16. The pressurized container 12 has a neck 17 externally-threaded at its outer end, as indicated at 18 to be removably received in an internally- 3,392,787 Patented July 16, 1968 ICC threaded opening 19 provided in the upper end of the fitting 11. The outer end of the neck 17 of the pressurized container 12 is counterbored and internally-threaded as at 18 to threadingly receive a plug member 20 serving to hold a frangible diaphragm 21 against the discharge openin 22 in the neck of said pressurized container. The frangible diaphragm 21 serves to contain the pressurized fire extinguishing agent in the container until ruptured by a tubular release pin 23.

Means is provided to pierce the frangible diaphram 21 to release the fire extinguishing agent from the pressurized container 12 either automatically as controlled by the thermally actuated sensing device 13, or manually by actuation of the manually operated release mechanism 14. To this end, a tubular release pin 23 is provided-within the fitting 11, the upper end of which is cut at an angle to form a sharp point 24. A plurality of openings 25 are formed in the side wall at the upper end of the release pin 23. The lower end of the release pin 23 is formed with a disc-like head portion 26. The release pin 23 is slidably arranged in an axial bore 27 extending in from the bottom of the fitting 11. A helical compression spring 28 circumjacent the release pin 23 and constrained between the underside of the head portion 26 of said pin and the lower end of the fitting 11 serves to normally hold said pin so that its point 24 is in slightly spaced relation with respect to the frangible diaphragm 21. The upper end of the axial bore 27 communicates with a greatly increased diameter portion in the fitting 11 providing an interior chamber 29 surrounding the upper end of the tubular release pin 23. The fitting 11 is formed with opposed, laterally-extending bosses 30 having openings 31 communicating with the interior chamber 29 at their inner ends and counterbored and internally-threaded at their outer ends as indicated at 32 to receive nozzles or pipes to which nozzles are attached 33 through which the fire-extinguishing medium is discharged, as is hereinbelow more fully described.

Mechanical means is provided for pushing upwardly against the head portion 26 of the tubular release pin 23 against the reactive force of the compression spring 28. To this end, a journal pin 34 is transversely supported between the front and back walls 35, 36, respectively, of the housing 10, journalled upon which is the upper end of an integrally-formed actuating lever 37, said lever comprising spaced, parallel lever portions 37a, 37b each having horizontal portions 38 extending substantially laterally from their journal point to a position directly under the head portion 26 of the release pin 23, downwardlyextending portions 39, inwardly and downwardly-extending portions 40 and short, downwardly-extending terminal portions 41. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer ends of the horizontal portions 38 of the actuating lever 37 have journalled therebetween, as by a pin 42, a cam wheel 43 the peripheral edge of which is normally in contact with the head portion 26 of the release pin 23.

The downwardly-extending terminal portions 41 of the actuating lever 37 are somewhat spread apart to form a yoke opening 44 through which a control rod 45 extends, said terminal portions being limited in their movement along said rod by a collar 46, fixed to said rod at the inside of said yoke. A pin 47 extending through the yoke opening 44 anchors one end of a flexible cable 48 the other end of which extends out of the housing member 10 through a sleeve 49 fixed about the outside of an opening 50 in the side wall 50a of said housing. The outer end of the cable 48' terminates in a handle 51 for manual actuation of the fire extinguisher as is hereinbelow described. The rod 45 extends axially through a cylindrical housing member 52 horizontally fixed with respect to the housing 10 and extending through an opening 54 in the opposite side wall 55 thereof. The inner end of the cylindrical housing member 52 is provided with a cylindrical recess 56 within which a helical compression spring 57 circumjacent the rod 45 is seated. The'outer end of the spring 50 is constrained against a collar 58 secured to the rod 45 as by a taper pin 59, said collar being slidably arranged in the cylindrical recess 56. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the outer end portion of the cylindrical housing member is fitted with a semicylindrical Wall 60 defining an open chamber 61 received within which is a fusible link 62 of known construction, one end of said link being attached to a hook 63 fixed in the end wall 64 of said semicylindrical wall, and the other end being hooked to a pin 65 extending sidewardly from the outer end of the rod 45. A second pin 66 in the rod 45 in back-of the pin 65 acts as a stop to prevent withdrawal of said rod under the influence of the spring 57. It will be understood that when the outer end of the rod 45 is connected to the fusible link 62, the helical compression spring 57 serves to constrain the rod 45 to its innermost position, i.e., to the left as indicated in FIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the device will be fixed at the zone to be protected against fire, to a fryer indicated generally at F, for example. In operation, upon the occurrence of a local fire, the heat generated will melt the fusible link 62, which is of a low melting point alloy, permitting the compression spring 57 to push the rod 45 sharply to the right (as seen in FIG. 1). Such movement of the rod 45 will rock the actuating lever 37 counterclockwisely to the broken line positional representation thereof in FIG. 1, causing the cam wheel 43 to push upwardly on the release pin 23. The point 24 of the release pin 23 will thereupon pierce the frangible diaphragm 21 of the pressurized container 12 releasing its fire extinguishing agent, whether gas, liquid, powder or foam, through the openings 25 in the release pin and the distribution :pipes and nozzles 33. The fire extinguishing agent will thus flood the area to extinguish the fire. If required short hoses (not illustrated) can be connected to the housing instead of the nozzles or distribution pip-es andnozzles 33 to direct the fire extinguishing agent to comparatively remote areas.

The fire extinguisher can also be actuated manually simply by pulling upon the cable handle 51 to move the actuating lever 37 independently of the rod 45.

While I have illustrated and described herein only one form in which my invention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to be understood that this form is presented by Way of example only and not in a limiting sense. The invention, in brief, includes all the forms and embodiments coming within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a thermally actuated fire extinguisher, the combinaton comprising, a container containing a fire extinguishing medium under pressure and formed with a cylindrical discharge neck, a frangible diaphragm in said neck for sealing the fire extinguishing medium within said container, a housing member defining an interior chamber, a fitting having an interior mixing chamber and secured to said housing member, means for removably connecting said discharge neck of said container to said fitting and in communication with the interior chamber thereof, a bore in said fitting in axial alignment with the discharge neck of said container, a tubular release pin slidably received in said bore and having a point at its inner end and a head portion at its opposite end, yieldable means normally holding the point of said release pin in spaced relation with respect to said frangible diaphragm in said container neck, said interior mixing chamber of said fitting surrounding the inner end of said release pin, the inner end portion of said release pin havinga-plurality of wall openings, conduit means in said fitting and in communication with the interior mixing chamber thereof for discharging the fire extinguishing medium from said container, and thermally-controlled m-eansforrnoying said release pin into rupturing engagement with said frangible diaphragm for releasing the fire extinguishing agent from said pressurized container, through said conduit means, said thermally-controlled means including an actuating lever carrying a cam wheel which abuts said head portion.

2. A thermally actuated fire extinguisheras defined in claim 1 including manually controlled means for moving said release pin into rupturing engagement with said frangible diaphragm independently of said thermally-controlled means. I

3. A thermally actuated fire extinguisher as defined in claim 1 wherein said actuating lever is located within said housing member and is pivotally connected at one end with respect thereto, said lever having an intermediate portion at a first position in contact with an outer end portion of said release pin and movable from said first postion to a second position whereat said releasepin will be moved by said lever into rupturing engagement with said diaphragm, an axially movable rod, means linking the end of said lever to said rod for swinging said lever into said second position upon movement of said rod between first and second positions, resilient means urging said rod in the direction of said second position, and a fusible link member connected at one end to one end of said rod and being fixed with respect to said housing member at the other end to prevent movement of said rod to said second position by said resilient means.

4. A thermally actuated fire extinguisher as defined in claim 3 wherein said resilient means comprises a helical spring circumjacent said rod.

5. A thermally actuated fire extinguisher as defined in claim 4 including manually controlled means for moving said release pin into rupturing engagement with said frangible diaphragm independently of said thermallycontrolled means. I

6. A thermally actuated fire extinguisher as defined in claim 5 wherein said manually-controlled means comprises a flexible cable connected at one end to the end of said lever.

7. A thermally actuated fire extinguisher as defined in claim 6 wherein said manually-controlled means further comprises a sleeve member through which said cable extends, and a handle at the other end of said cable.

References Cited' UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,881,608 10/1932 Hunter 16926 1,992,276 2/ 1935 Zieschang 169-26 2,127,395 8/1938 Evans 169-26 2,588,788 3/1952 Zell 16926 2,755,865 7/1956 Jacobs 1-69-9 X 3,091,365 5/1963 Horner et al. 169 26 X 3,316,974 5/1967 Cholin 16926 FOREIGN PATENTS 811,518 1/1937 France.

455,870 10/1936 Great Britain.

292,347 1/ 1932 Italy.

M. HENSON WOOD, 1111., Primary Examiner. V. C. WILKS, Assistant Examiner. 

